


until you reach your shore

by thesaddestboner



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Detroit Tigers, Double Drabble, Free Agency, Friendship, Gen, Goodbyes, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 17:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4969750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaddestboner/pseuds/thesaddestboner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Everything goes on: life, baseball, friendships.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	until you reach your shore

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually stuck in the middle of something else, but this idea hit me and I decided to try and use it to break my writers' block. 
> 
> [Dad confirms Alex Avila likely won't return to Tigers](http://nullrefer.com/?http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/10/09/detroit-tigers-alex-avila/73686616/)
> 
> Set after the last game of the season.
> 
> Title from "Driftwood," by Travis.
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/thesaddestboner) and [tumblr](http://saddestboner.tumblr.com).

Alex is the last one to leave the clubhouse. Of course. This isn’t surprising in the slightest. 

Justin ambles over to his locker, trying to appear nonchalant and mostly failing. “So, I guess this’s it.” He aims for casual and misses by miles. The tension’s in his voice, the grim set of his mouth, the muscles of his arms pulled tight like the bowstrings of a violin.

Alex looks up, letting his plastic shinguards drop to the worn carpet. “Yeah.” He pauses, clears his throat with an awkward cough. “Dad says they’re probably not gonna…” 

Alex trails off because how do you even have this conversation? Justin’s gone through it countless times before, with other teammates, teammates he'd been even closer to than Alex, and he’s never learned. Never learned how to make it easier. So he does what he does best, covers up any real, genuine feelings with prickly humor and a sharply angled smirk.

“You were a good teammate,” Justin says. “And a better friend.” He fumbles for the right words, tries for a mix of cocky and affectionate. He thinks it lands this time. “You won’t have me makin’ you look good anymore. But somehow, I think you’ll be fine.”

Alex is the kind of guy who’d get fired by his own dad and thank him for giving him the opportunity. 

He smiles at Justin, warm and affectionate, before ducking his head to stamp the dirt off his cleats and unlace them. Somehow it makes Justin feel calmer, settled. Everything goes on: life, baseball, friendships.

“I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> The author of this piece intends no insult, slander, or copyright infringement, and is not profiting from this work. This story is a complete work of fiction and does not necessarily reflect on the nature of the individuals featured. This is for entertainment purposes only. If you found this story while Googling your name or the names of your friends, hit the back button now.


End file.
